TLR's serious or nostalgic?

Are new TLR's like Rollei's a serious or nostalgic camera option? I just happened to read something on (yes I know), dpreview, where someone said that the mirror slap on his Pentax 67 is so massive he muchs prefers a TLR when possible.

Are they very useable hand-hold? or mainly tripod cameras? Anyone know what the difference between a new Expression 2.8 GX and the 2.8 FX would be?

Hi Daniel I absolutely love my (Mamiya) TLR. I hand-hold it, where it on a neck strap, use it on a tripod... And while this may not be true, I have heard that the lack of mirror slap will enable you to get sharp hand-held shots at lower shutter speeds. Plus I really dig that square negative! So I guess if you are serious about capturing images than you get some seriously awesome shots with a TLR. Good luck to you and let us know what you decide.

Are new TLR's like Rollei's a serious or nostalgic camera option? I just happened to read something on (yes I know), dpreview, where someone said that the mirror slap on his Pentax 67 is so massive he muchs prefers a TLR when possible.

Are they very useable hand-hold? or mainly tripod cameras? Anyone know what the difference between a new Expression 2.8 GX and the 2.8 FX would be?

Daniel.

I would say based on the price of a new Rollei TLR, they are indeed serious cameras, of course over the course of the last century most of the Rollei's have been quite good cameras with a very strong following.

Even in this day and age, TLR photography is very serious and a great many of the camera are great performers, as Digi Said, I have also used them handheld, on a tripod and they produce great images.

The mirror slap on the Pentax, can indeed be distracting, but there are a great number of photographers that use them quite successfully for serious work, The Pentax is a challenge to hand hold, it is a large heavy camera that just by its nature can cause you to shake due to the weight, I tried shooting one handheld a couple of years ago, with no success at all to the shear mass of the camera. So Tripod is the recommended way to use this camera.

A TLR is quiet, easier to hand hold (you can cradle it with both hands, allowing you to easily break the 1/focal length rule for shutter speeds), and the lenses in the best are at least equal to anything you can buy, for any money, to fit a 'Blad.

Even better, you can get high quality used TLRs with decades of life left in them for less than a single lens for a MF SLR. Sure, you're limited (with most of them) to a single focal length (unless you spring for a Mamiya C series), but I don't find that to be as limiting as it seems; 99% of the time I use the 50 mm lens on my Spotmatic...

Photography has always fascinated me -- as a child, simply for the magic of capturing an image onto glossy paper with a little box, but as an adult because of the unique juxtaposition of science and art -- the physics of optics, the mechanics of the camera, the chemistry of film and developer, alongside the art in seeing, composing, exposing, processing and printing.

Even though I sold off all of my TLR gear last year to finance my Bronica system, I have a soft spot for the camera type. It's tougher to do with a C-series Mamiya, but with a lighter, fixed-lens TLR such as a Yashica Mat 124G or Minolta Autocord, I could handhold at 1/8 sec and get negatives that were sharp enough for an 11x14 enlargement. The best I could do with the 80mm lens on the Mamiya C-220 or C-3 (handheld) was about 1/30th - and that was kinda pushing the limit.

I think part of the Mamiya's problem with handholding (compared to the Yashica and Minolta) is the layout of the shutter release. On those two fixed lens cameras, I could cradle the body with my left hand and use my left index finger on the release - a motion that pushed the release button into the body. The C-220 and C-3 required me to use my right thumb and push down on the right side of the body. I found that to be a bit more awkward, but I still loved those cameras...

Regardless, the lack of mirror slap and the super quiet operation of the shutters made them perfect for shooting wedding ceremonies using available light.

Bob Fowlerfowler@verizon.net
Some people are like Slinkies. They're really good for nothing, but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs.

I really like the square format. Are they rangefinders? How do you focus?

Daniel.

No, not rangefinders...

You have two lenses of equal focal length, mounted on a movable plate one atop the other. The bottom lens has a shutter and is used to expose the film, the top lens is used to project an image on the groundglass (via a mirror) for focusing. Hence the name, Twin Lens Reflex.

Bob Fowlerfowler@verizon.net
Some people are like Slinkies. They're really good for nothing, but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs.

I guess the biggest factor is do you want a waist level finder?
If so, then can you live with a single lens?

If you answer yes to both of those, then a TLR is the thing to have.

On the other hand the new Rollei is WAY expensive. If I was in a situation to justify that kind of cash on a new camera I'd grab one like a shot, but in the mean time "previously operated" tlr's are a bargain.

One of my main cameras is a Baby Rollei - nostalga? Maybe a bit, but it's an ideal working camera for a lot of stuff that I like to do. Now if they were to release a new baby... I'd have to start saving...